Three days in Egypt gives you the Pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum, and Alexandria. That’s it. No Luxor, no Nile cruise, no Abu Simbel. Trying to add those means you spend more time in a bus than at the sites.
This tour works for people who land in Cairo with a long weekend, or who are passing through and want to see the two cities that matter most in the north.
What you actually see
Day one starts at the Giza Plateau. We get there when the gates open at 8 AM. By 10 AM the tour buses arrive and the place turns into a parking lot. Your guide handles tickets and walks you through the Valley Temple, the Great Sphinx, and the three pyramids: Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure.
Then the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). The GEM is the new museum near the Pyramids, and it houses the full Tutankhamun collection. Unlike the old Tahrir museum, the GEM has proper lighting, air conditioning, and labeled exhibits. It’s a 15-minute drive from the plateau.
Day two is Alexandria. Leave Cairo at 7 AM, arrive around 9:30. The desert road is boring but fast. In Alexandria you see the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, Pompey’s Pillar, the Citadel of Qaitbay, and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Note: the Bibliotheca closes on Fridays, Saturdays, and public holidays. If your tour lands on one of those days, we swap it for the Royal Jewelry Museum or the Alexandria National Museum.
Lunch is at a seafood restaurant on the corniche. Fresh catch, grilled, with rice and tahina. If you don’t eat fish, tell us in advance and we’ll swap it for a grill restaurant.
Back to Cairo by 7 PM. It’s a long day. You will be tired. The drive is 2.5 hours each way.
Day three is the Citadel of Saladin, Old Cairo, and Khan el-Khalili. The Citadel includes the Alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali and views over the city. Then the Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue in Coptic Cairo. The Khan el-Khalili bazaar is a tourist market. Real Cairenes shop at other markets. But it’s worth one visit for the atmosphere.
The hotel
You stay at the Steigenberger Pyramids. It’s a 5-star property with pyramid views from some rooms. The pool is decent, breakfast is a standard hotel buffet. It’s 10 minutes from the Giza plateau, 45 minutes from downtown Cairo in normal traffic, 90 minutes in bad traffic. We chose it because it’s close to the Pyramids, not because it’s close to the museum.
If you’d rather stay downtown, we can swap to the Kempinski Nile Hotel or the Four Seasons Nile Plaza. Rates differ.
What’s included
- 2 nights at Steigenberger Pyramids (or similar)
- Daily breakfast
- Lunch on all three tour days
- All entrance fees (Giza Plateau, GEM, Catacombs, Qaitbay, Bibliotheca, Citadel of Saladin)
- Private A/C vehicle
- English-speaking Egyptologist guide
- Airport pickup and drop-off
- Bottled water during tours
What’s not included
- International flights
- Visa ($25 on arrival for most nationalities)
- Dinner
- Tips for guide and driver (expect $10-15 per person per day)
- Optional Sound & Light Show at the Pyramids ($35)
- Travel insurance
Honest notes
The drive to Alexandria is 2.5 hours each way. That’s 5 hours in a car on day two. If you get carsick, take something before you leave.
The GEM is huge. You can spend 3 hours there and still not see everything. We allocate about 2.5 hours, which covers the Tutankhamun galleries and the main highlights. If you want more time, tell us and we’ll adjust the schedule.
The Khan el-Khalili bazaar is a tourist market. Don’t buy anything on the first price.
Who this is for
- First-time visitors with only 3 days
- People who want Cairo and Alexandria, not Upper Egypt
- Travelers who prefer a hotel with pyramid views
- Anyone who wants the GEM, not the old Tahrir museum
Who this is not for
- Anyone who wants Luxor or Aswan (book a longer tour)
- Families with very young children (the Alexandria day is long)
- People who hate early mornings
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